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Environmental causes Flashcards

1
Q

7 examples

A

Tabacco, weight/diet, Alcohol, UV, pesticides, oestrogens, solvents

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2
Q

how many substances are suspected/ known to cause cancer (2002)

A

228

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3
Q

what is the latent period

A

a fixed time between exposure and appearance of malignancy

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4
Q

what is the concept of age at expression

A

regardless of age at exposure, induced tumours will tend to be expressed at the same time as those which occur spontaneously

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5
Q

In 2015 how many deaths were due to tobacco in the UK

A

21% of all deaths

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6
Q

what % of cancer is caused by cigarette smoking

A

15%

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7
Q

2 carcinogens in cigarette smoke

A

Benzene and Acrolein

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8
Q

what increases the risk of mouth, voice box and oesophagus cancer in smokers

A

drinking more than 2 drinks/day (alcohol)

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9
Q

5 cancers strongly linked to being overweight/ physical inactivity

A

breast, endometrium, kidney, colon and oesophagus

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10
Q

what % of major cancers is accounted for by inactivity and obesity

A

25-30%

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11
Q

UV radiation and cancer

A

from sun, tanning beds etc… causes premature ageing of the skin and DNA damage that leads to melanoma

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12
Q

what does UV do to the DNA

A

it makes pyrimidine dimers form, causing a kink in the DNA, stalling replication, nucleotide excision repair used (but doesn’t always work)

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13
Q

what is the major carcinogenic wavelength

A

UVB 290-320

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14
Q

xeroderma pigmentosum (XP)

A

increased sensitivity to killing by UV radiation and UV-mimetic chemicals

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15
Q

what does classical XP exhibit

A

a defect in nucleotide excision repair

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16
Q

what is complete carcinogen

A

when it initiates and promotes activities

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17
Q

UVB effects on local and systemic immune function in skin

A

it dampens the immune system, decreasing immune response

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18
Q

how many ingredients in pesticides are found to be carcinogenic agents

A

at least 20

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19
Q

3 examples of banned pesticides

A

ethylene oxide, DDT and hexachlorobenzene

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20
Q

what cancers are caused by pesticides usually (7)

A

blood & lymphatic, lip, stomach, lung, brain, prostate and melanoma

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21
Q

HPV and cancer

A

causes cervical and anal cancer, women who have sex at 16 or many sexual partners are at increased risk

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22
Q

Hep B and C and cancer

A

major causes of liver cancer, risk factors are exposure to blood products, injection drug use and unprotected sex w many partners

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23
Q

EBV (epstein-barr) and cancer

A

linked to some lymphomas

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24
Q

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and cancer

A

linked to kaposi’s sarcoma and occurs through close person-to-person contact

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25
oestrogens and cancer
HRT is linked to endometrial cancer, breast cancer and a reduction in colon cancer. taken in combo w progesterone can protect against risk
26
what is tamoxifen
a SERM used to prevent recurrence of ER+ breast cancer after treatment
27
what risks are associated with tamoxifen
increased risk of stroke, endometrial cancer and blood clots
28
what did Diethylstilbestrol (DES) do to women's daughters
those that were exposed before birth to DES had more chance of developing a rare cervical and vaginal cancer.
29
what was DES
synthetic form of oestrogen prescribed to pregnant women
30
immunosuppressants and cancer (+ 2 examples)
cyclosporin and azathioprine are associated with increased cancer risks such as lymphoma
31
aspirin and cancer
regular consumption can lead to reduced risk of colon cancer
32
benzene and cancer
causes leukaemia in humans, inhaling contaminated air is the primary method of exposure e.g. in petrol stations
33
what are dioxins
unwanted byproducts of chemical processes that contain Cl and hydrocarbons, they accumulate in fats and break down slowly
34
what dioxin is known to be particularly carcinogenic
TCDD (2,3,7,8 - tetrachlorodibenzo-pdioxin)
35
how is the general population exposed to TCDD
eating dairy products, fish, meat inc. poultry
36
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and cancer
exposure to them increases incidence of lung, skin and urinary cancer
37
what is the primary source of PAHs
burning wood and fuel for homes
38
examples of PAHs (2)
pyrene and benzo(a)-pyrene
39
asbestos and cancer
asbestos fibres lead to increased rates of mesothelioma (cancer of lung lining)
40
what was the cause of the largest % of occupational cancer
asbestos fibres
41
3 main hypotheses regarding the pathogenesis of asbestos induced mesothelioma
1. the oxidative stress theory 2. the chromosome tangling theory 3. the theory of adsorption of many specific proteins as well as carcinogenic molecules
42
explain the oxidative stress theory as a hypothesis regarding the pathogenesis of asbestos induced mesothelioma
based on the fact that phagocytic cells that engulf asbestos fibres produce large amounts of free radicals because they cant digest the fibres. - iron-containing asbestos fibres appear more carcinogenic
43
explain the chromosome tanging theory as a hypothesis regarding the pathogenesis of asbestos induced mesothelioma
asbestos fibres damage chromosomes when cells divide
44
explain the theory of adsorption of many specific proteins as well as carcinogenic moleules as a hypothesis regarding the pathogenesis of asbestos induced mesothelioma
asbestos fibres in vivo concentrate proteins or chemicals including the components of cigarette smoke
45
which metals are classified as group 1 carcinogens (4)
Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, nickel
46
what is a mechanism of heavy metal-induced damage
oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS)
47
what happens when exposed to ROS
1. disruptions in tumour supressor gene expression 2. damage repair processes 3. enzymatic activities concerned in metabolism via oxidative damage
48
cancer associated with beryllium
lung
48
cancer associated with arsenic (5)
skin, lung, bladder, kidney, liver
49
cancer associated with cadmium
lung
50
cancer associated with chromium
lung
51
cancer associated with lead (2)
kidney, brain
52
cancer associated with nickel (2)
nasal cavity, lung
53
how do toxic metals interact with proteins?
bind to protein sites that they're no meant to (e.g. transporters) which induces oxidative stress
54
what happens as a result of toxic metals interacting with proteins
oxidative deterioration of biological macromolecules e.g. DNA.
55
what are aflatoxins
cancer causing substances produced by certain types of fungi growing on food
56
what foods do aflatoxins commonly grow on
peanuts and grains
57
what cancer is associated with aflatoxins
liver
58
why is there a higher risk of aflatoxins in developing countries
there is no screening for the fungus
59
what is vinyl chloride
a colourless gas used by the plastics industry
60
what cancers are associated with vinyl chloride
lung, angiosarcomas of the liver and brain
61
what ionising radiation can both cause and 'cure' cancer
x-rays, gamma rays, alpha particles, beta particles, protons and neutrons
62
what is Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) A.K.A louis-barr syndrome
an autosomal recessive disorder referred to as a genome instability or DNA damage response syndrome
63
how is AT usually characterised (4)
cerebellar degeneration, telangiectasia immunodeficiency, radiation hypersensitivity and cancer susceptibility
64
what cancers are associated with AT
lymphomas and leukaemia, carriers can have GI and breast cancers
65
how is DNA damage induced by environmental mutagens resolved?
disparate repair and/or replicative pathways
66
what is the NCI GDC
cancer analysis system, is used to analyse data and compare data sets in the GDC

causes and consequences (15 decks)

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